Chapter 1

Introduction:

We were in a long-distance relationship for three years, saving up thirty-six boarding passes along the way.

Yet when I finally moved back home, Ethan already had Mia by his side.

I always thought his endless work meant he was busy planning our future together.

Instead, at my own welcome-back party, Ethan protected Mia in front of everyone and had me thrown out of the room.

I was done waiting. I would settle every single score from all those years, and then I’d find someone else to build a life with.

Gwen's POV

For the welcome-back party, Ethan booked thirty tables at an exclusive private club.

The moment I stepped inside, the chatter and laughter among our friends dropped to a dead silence.

Ethan walked over, reaching out to take my coat.

I took half a step back, dodging his hands.

Before I could even catch my balance, a girl in a white dress broke through the crowd and slapped me squarely across the face.

The crack echoed so sharply through the room that the entire place froze.

"I'm Ethan's girlfriend. Who the hell are you?" The girl tilted her chin up, but her eyes flicked nervously toward Ethan.

I turned my face back, my cheek burning like fire.

I recognized that face. Mia. She showed up all the time as Ethan's phone wallpaper and on his social feeds.

Before, I’d just assumed she was a new junior employee at his firm. I never paid it much mind, and I never asked him about her.

Back then, I figured he’d waited for me for so many years—it wasn't worth causing friction over an employee.

I whipped my hand back and slapped her right across the face, hitting her even harder than she hit me.

Mia stumbled back half a step, tears instantly welling in her eyes. Clutching her cheek, she looked up at Ethan, her shoulders trembling with sobs.

"Ethan..." Her voice shook.

Ethan’s eyes lingered on my face for a second, but he didn't say a word.

In that second, I waited for him to speak.

I was waiting for the simplest, most obvious thing: whoever hit me should apologize to me.

"Get her out of here."

I didn't look at Mia. I just tilted my chin toward the security guards standing by the wall.

Two guards stepped in, grabbing Mia by both arms.

Mia wrenched herself free, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss right on Ethan's cheek in front of everyone. "Don't you dare touch me! I'm his girlfriend!"

The room full of friends traded glances. Then, someone took the lead, and one after another, they all started chiming in for Mia.

"Oh, this must be Mia! Ethan's future bride! They look so good together."

"Ethan, you should’ve told us sooner so we could properly roll out the red carpet for her!"

One after another, like a rehearsed script, they acknowledged Mia as Ethan's future wife right in front of my face.

I recognized every single person in this room.

During the years I lived abroad, these were the very people who constantly sent gifts and care packages to my family's house.

Ethan stepped forward, putting himself between me and Mia, his brows furrowed.

"Gwen, she's still practically a kid. Don't be petty with her."

I looked at the arm he used to shield her.

That same hand had once blocked things for me—shielding me from unwanted drinks at parties, shutting down anyone who dared talk behind my back.

Today, that hand was turned the other way. Shielding her from me.

"I'm not being petty." I raised my hand, pointing to the untouched bottle of hard liquor on the table. "Finish this entire bottle today."

"If you want a drink, I'll drink with you," Ethan said, frowning.

"I'm not drinking it. This bottle, these thirty tables, and the explanation you owe me after three years and thirty-six flights—if you don't drain every drop today, nobody leaves." I shook my head, my gaze sweeping across the faces that had just flipped their loyalties.

The room went dead silent. Even Mia forgot to cry.

Ethan didn't respond to my demand.

In front of the whole crowd, his tone chilled. "You've had too much to drink, and you're making a scene. Someone, see Miss Vance out."

Two servers immediately stepped forward, politely making a gesture toward the exit.

I recognized both servers. Whenever I used to visit this private club, they were always the ones attending to me.

A moment ago, I still had a sliver of hope that someone in this room would realize how twisted this was.

Now I knew: not a single person in this room gave a damn.

In their eyes, I was just a troublemaker ruining the party, while Mia was the guest of honor.

I didn't make a scene.

I looked down at the dress I was wearing, gathered my skirt, and walked out, step by step.

In the entire room, not one person dared to stop me.

When I got home, I locked myself in my bedroom without turning on the lights.

I dug up every single photo, post, and timeline trace of Ethan and Mia over the past few years, organizing them all.

In the pictures, Mia was sitting where I used to sit. Ethan blocked drinks for her, draped his jacket over her shoulders, and listened to her talk with the exact same tender smile he used to give me.

Every single gesture of affection was intimately familiar.

All of it was originally meant for me.

Turns out, he had been saving it all for someone else.

He took my place, took every bit of tenderness meant for me, and handed it to another woman without missing a single detail. And then, in front of a whole room of people, he told me not to be petty with her.

I sat in the darkness for a long time. So long that the sky outside began to pale with dawn. So long that the sting on my cheek finally went numb.

My plan had been to come back and build a real life with him.

That thought snapped tonight. It was a clean, absolute break; I didn't even care to ask him why.

I picked up my phone and sent a message to Carter, whom I’d met while studying abroad:

*Whenever you get back, let's get married.*